How do I Relieve Neck & Hand Pain?

When you have pain in any one of your muscles, it can be annoying and uncomfortable. Two of the more frustrating places on the body to have pain are the neck and the hands. The neck is constantly in motion or in use, even when you're sitting still. Hands are always busy doing something throughout the day. Pain in the hand and neck can be relieved in a variety of ways.

Things You'll Need

• Ice pack
• Heating pad
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Massage oil or lotion
• Compression bandage

Show More

Instructions

How to Relieve Neck Pain

• 1

  Perform neck stretches. The muscles in your neck can get tense just like any other muscle in your body. It's important to stretch your neck muscles and keep them limber. Sit up straight in a chair, and slowly tilt your head to one side until you feel tension. Hold that stretch for 10 to 15 seconds and return to a neutral position. Repeat the process on the other side.

• 2

  Exercise

  Stay active. It's important to keep moving and stay active. The less active you are, the more muscles can lose their tone and begin to ache and cause pain. Neck muscles are fairly easy to strengthen. While performing abdominal crunches, keep your hands lightly behind your head as you crunch up. The less pressure your hands put on the back of your head, the more your neck muscles are engaged.

• 3

  Lose weight

  Lose excess weight. Accumulated fat occurs all over the body. When fat accumulates around the neck area, it puts pressure on the discs in the neck. If too much fat accumulates in the neck area, it could throw the neck out of alignment and cause pain. Weight loss will lessen the pressure in the neck from accumulated fat and ease the pain.

• 4

  Cigarrette

  Quit smoking. Atherosclerosis is a term for hardening of the arteries. One of the risk factors for atherosclerosis is smoking. Atherosclerosis can cause not only pain in the lower back, but also degenerative disc disorder, which can affect the discs in the neck.

• 5

  Ice

  Use heat and ice. When you first notice a flareup in neck pain, use an ice pack to reduce inflammation. Keep the ice pack on for 20 minutes at a time, several times a day. Once the swelling goes down, you can apply a heating pad to reduce the pain. Use the heating pad for 20 minutes at a time, several times a day.

• 6

  NSAIDs

  Take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. These are over-the-counter medicines that are not addictive, as some prescribed medications are.

• 7

  Rest your neck. Sometimes if you sit or stand in one position for too long, your neck will begin to ache. Get into a relaxing position and stay there for a while. Lying on a bed with your head hanging over the edge can help ease neck pain that is brought on by slouching. Find a comfortable position that will ease the tension in the neck muscles and just relax for about 10 to 15 minutes.

How to Relieve Hand Pain

• 8

  Stretch the hand muscles to keep them limber. It might be uncomfortable to stretch the muscles in the hand, so go slowly. Open the hand as far as you can until you feel tension. Hold that position for 10 to 15 seconds, then release. Make a fist and hold that position for 10 to 15 seconds, then release. Straighten your arm with your palm facing away from you. With your other hand, pull your fingertips slowly and gently toward you, then release.

• 9

  Lotion

  Massage the hand to ease the pain. Perform a gentle massage on your painful hand with massage oil or soothing lotion. Massage the lotion or oil into the palm of the hand by using long and slow motions. The oil or lotion will allow for a smoother massage, which will make it easier to relax the tight muscles.

• 10

  NSAIDs

  Take NSAIDs. NSAIDs such as Tylenol can help to ease the pain of an aching hand.

• 11

  Compression bandage

  Use a compression bandage. A compression bandage will hold your hand in position, compressing the muscles. This makes it easier for you to perform everyday tasks without having to worry about straining it too much.